I am pleased to appear before you today to discuss how we can better meet the needs of
a special group of foster children who have little visibility -- older youth making the
transition from foster care to adulthood. The President's budget for fiscal year 2000
outlines a series of proposals to address the needs of these youth. The budget proposes to
expand the Independent Living Program; authorize a demonstration program of transitional
support for former foster children between the ages of 18 and 21 (both of which proposals
are within the jurisdiction of this Subcommittee); increase funding for the Transitional
Living Program; and encourage continued access to health care for young adults emancipated
from foster care. We are very pleased that the members of this Subcommittee have also
expressed interest in increasing support for youth leaving the foster care system. I hope
that on this issue, like others we have explored together in the past several years, we
will be successful in enActing
bipartisan legislation.
We are proud that the Administration has been able to work in a bipartisan fashion with
the Congress over the past several years to pass critical adoption, foster care and child
welfare reform legislation. Together, we have enacted and are now implementing laws that
make the health and safety of children our first consideration and that encourage timely
decision-making on behalf of all children in foster care. We are also working to tear down
barriers to adoption, whether based on racial discrimination, geographic boundaries or
simply outmoded assumptions about which children are "adoptable."
While we have accomplished a great deal, we have unfinished work remaining. We are
making strides in increasing the number of children adopted from foster care. But we know
that not all children needing permanent families will be adopted. Each year, nearly 20,000
young people in foster care reach the age of 18 and must enter adulthood without the
financial or emotional support of a family. As any of us who have raised teenagers can
attest, it is a rare young person who is ready on his or her 18th birthday to be fully
autonomous and economically self-sufficient. We do not expect this of our own children.
And yet, this is the burden we currently place on young adults aging out of the foster
care system. I am reminded of the story a participant at one of our Kinship Care Advisory
Group meetings told. This young woman spoke about how she had been raised as a foster
child. When she turned 18, she went off to college. But she wondered did she have a
family? Did she have a place to go home to on spring break? Or was she all on her own in
the world?
For many youth emancipated from the foster care system, the consequences of being left
to fend for themselves at the age of 18 are far more grave. Studies show that within two
to four years of leaving foster care:
- Only half of these young adults had completed high school;
- Fewer than half were employed;
- One-fourth had been homeless for at least one night;
- Thirty (30) percent had not had access to needed health care;
- Sixty (60 ) percent of the young women had given birth;
- And, not surprisingly, less than one-fifth of these young people was completely
self-sufficient.
Furthermore, many of these youngsters experience depression, isolation and loneliness.
Last Fall, along with the First Lady and others, I had an opportunity to hear from a
group of former foster care youth. Among the things that these young people told us they
needed in order to achieve self-sufficiency, stable living arrangements and mature
relationships were:
- Medical services, including mental health;
- Education and/or vocational training;
- Employment preparation and opportunities, including internships;
- Transitional and/or supported housing; and
- Psycho-social support via mentoring, counseling and/or support groups.
The proposals in the Administration's FY 2000 budget take an important next step in
meeting the needs of young people who will be emancipated from the foster care system. I
would now like to give a brief overview of our proposals.
Increase Funding for the Independent Living Program by 50 percent: The
Independent Living Program, authorized by Section 477 of title IV-E of the Social Security
Act, offers services to children in foster care who are age 16 or older. At State option,
the program may serve both children who are eligible to receive Federal title IV-E foster
care maintenance payments and youth in foster care supported through State dollars. States
may also opt to serve children beyond the age of 18, up until the age of 21. All States
and the District of Columbia have elected to exercise both of these options. The program
is designed to help young people make the transition from foster care to self-sufficiency
by:
- Helping participants to obtain a high school diploma, a GED or to participate in
vocational training;
- Providing training in daily living skills, such as budgeting, locating housing, finding
a job or planning a career;
- Providing individual or group counseling;
- Coordinating other social services available to the youth.
Since 1992, the Independent Living Program has been funded at $70 million annually. Of
this amount, $25 million is required to be matched by the States. Funds are currently
allotted among the States based on a formula tied to the number of children in the State
who were receiving title IV-E foster care maintenance payments in 1984.
We propose to increase funding for the Independent Living Program by 50 percent to a
total of $105 million annually. Of this amount, $45 million would need to be matched by
the States. The formula for distributing funds would also be updated, so that funds would
be allocated to the States on the basis of their number of children receiving title IV-E
foster care maintenance payments in the most recent year for which data are available to
the Secretary. There would also be a hold harmless provision, assuring that all States
would receive at least as much as they did under the old formula.
While funding for the Independent Living Program has remained constant since 1992, the
number of foster children ages 16 and older has grown from approximately 62,000 in 1992 to
over 77,000 in 1998, and we expect this number to continue to grow for at least the next
few years. We believe that the substantial increase in funding we are requesting for the
program is needed to enable the States to serve this growing population of youth and to
increase both the quantity and quality of services that are provided. This is a crucial
investment that we owe to youth in foster care to help them become productive members of
society as they enter young adulthood.
Research tells us that the Independent Living Program's services can and do make a
difference in the lives of young people. A 1990 study found that providing more
comprehensive services, including teaching a combination of skills--money management,
consumer and credit management, education and employment skills-- helped youth to achieve
better outcomes. Improvements in outcomes were seen in increased high school graduation
rates, greater ability to maintain a job for at least a year, accessing appropriate health
services, avoiding young parenthood and decreased dependence on public assistance
programs.
It is important to highlight not only the importance of the direct services provided by
State Independent Living Programs, but the creative linkages that these programs forge
with other organizations in the public and private sectors in order to provide expanded
opportunities for youth aging out of foster care.
- In Virginia, the Independent Living Program secures internships with private businesses,
community organizations, hospitals, universities and others in order to provide
participants with opportunities to develop skills, gain work experience and earn a
stipend.
- In Texas, the State Independent Living Program has initiated a cooperative arrangement
with State colleges to provide free college tuition to youth aging out of foster care.
These examples of collaboration and initiative translate into life-changing experiences
for youth in foster care.
- Brenda was a child who first came into Texas' foster care system when she was 3 years
old. She was later returned to family, but re-entered care when she was 13. She was
enrolled in the Independent Living Program and through this experience had the opportunity
to serve on the Statewide Youth Advisory Committee, which works to make life better for
children and youth in foster care. After emancipation from foster care, she began college,
with the help of the State's tuition benefit program for children aging out of foster
care. She graduated from college in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in social work and
subsequently worked for the State child protective services agency. She now works as a
case manager with a private child-placing agency. In her professional and personal
commitments, she has worked to improve the lives of children in foster care. Her goal is
to enter law school and to advocate for the rights of children and youth.
Create a Transitional Support Program for Older Youth: While the Independent
Living Program provides needed services to help youth and young adults gain skills and
education that will help them to become independent, the program does not allow payments
for room and board. Furthermore, foster care maintenance payments generally cease once
youth reach their 18th birthday. Therefore, young people leaving foster care no longer
have any source of economic support for basic living expenses.
We propose to create a time-limited demonstration program of competitive grants to
States that would provide economic support to young people between the ages of 18 and 21
who were, until aging out of the system, receiving title IV-E foster care; who are
enrolled in an Independent Living Program; and who have an independent living plan that
includes participation in an educational or job training program. The program would be
funded at $5 million the first year in FY 2000, rising to $10 million in FY 2001, $15
million in FY 2002, and $20 million FY 2003. The program would be evaluated to determine
its effect in helping young people to achieve positive outcomes.
This initiative would offer young people a better chance to gain independence by
assuring them of both economic and social support while they pursue educational or job
training activities. A recent survey of transitional living programs, which provide
similar types of services and supports to homeless youth, found that 74 percent of youth
were discharged to stable housing and, six months after completing participation in the
program, 78 percent remained free of all direct government aid.
In addition to the President's proposals for the Independent Living Program and the new
Transitional Support Program for Older Youth, there are several other proposals in the
budget that I would like to take a moment to highlight. While they do not fall within the
jurisdiction of this Subcommittee, they are substantively related to assuring positive
outcomes for youth leaving foster care.
Provide Health Insurance for Youth Leaving Foster Care: When foster care youth
lose their eligibility for title IV-E foster care maintenance payments at age 18, they
also lose their heath insurance provided by Medicaid. The President's budget includes a
proposal to allow the States to extend Medicaid coverage for these youth until their 21st
birthday.
Increase Funding for the Transitional Living Program: The President's budget
proposes to increase discretionary funding for the Transitional Living Program by 33
percent, from $15 million in FY 1999 to $20 million in FY 2000. The Transitional Living
Program, authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, provides grants to local
community-based organizations to provide residential care, life skills training,
vocational training, and other support services to homeless youth ages 16 - 21. While the
Independent Living Program serves youth who are in the custody of State child welfare
systems, the Transitional Living Program serves youth who are homeless, and not in the
custody of any other service system. Sadly, this group of homeless youth includes many
young people who suffered abuse or neglect at home, a small proportion of whom were
previously in foster care.
The President's budget outlines a sound set of policy initiatives to improve supports
to youth leaving foster care, in order to help them on the road to healthy, productive
lives as adults. We recognize that there are other ideas that Congress will also be
considering. In particular, we would like to acknowledge Congressman Cardin for the
leadership he has shown on this issue by introducing H.R. 671, the "Transition to
Adulthood Program Act of 1999". We are very interested in working with the members of
this Subcommittee to explore all options that meet our common goals for youth aging out of
foster care. What we want for these young people is really the same as what we want our
own children--that they be well educated and prepared for the world of work, physically
and emotionally healthy, economically secure, and supported through a network of caring
relationships. To promote these positive outcomes we need policies and programs that help
youth:
- To develop needed basic living, educational and vocational skills;
- To have access to financial support;
- To retain health insurance coverage; and
- To obtain stable housing and employment as they reach adulthood.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Subcommittee. I would be pleased to
answer any questions you might have.
